WHAT would high school life be without Junior Senior (JS) prom?
A JS prom or Junior-Senior Promenade is a one time of the year celebration when students are in their Sunday's best: boys sporting their tuxedos, while girls flashing their dresses.
Aside from the formal looks, it's that time of the year when students are gathered in one venue being themselves and mingle with their fellow high schoolers.
Apart from the joy, fun and camaraderie, it is also a "coming of age" of the students as they step into young adulthood with its responsibilities and become ladies and gentlemen.
Of course, attending a prom is not a required extra-curricular activity. Not to mention the expense it entails in renting or buying those attire.
But why every student should not miss this? Simple – it's a once in a lifetime experience.
If there is one valuable impact it has imparted to the students, it is the ability to allow students to carry themselves with class and confidence.
But for Ara Jane Ablan, a 16-year-old from Tacurong in Sultan Kudarat, having that confidence to socialize was something she had long struggled.
Admittedly, Ara Jane, a shy type of person, is actually a potential singer that deserves to be heard. But she seldom goes out to mingle.
What hinders her to do so is due to a limb deformity she acquired since birth. It was a struggle she has to go through for years. Having deformed legs deters her walking capability, leaving her way behind from living the life she has wanted. With this, she had stopped at Grade 7.
"My mom would usually take me to school. Whenever she's not around, she would tap my relatives or anyone just to assist me since I cannot go to school alone. If no one is vacant, I would be skipping school and just stay home," she shared.
Aside from carrying her disability, she also had to bear the bullying she had been receiving from some of her schoolmates for years.
But she is a strong person despite her shyness.
Not for long, Ara Jane's long time prayer of being able to walk was finally heard. Through the help of their local government, she was granted a surgical treatment sponsorship from Cure Philippines.
She was brought to Davao City in 2019 to undergo a surgery that can help her stand on her feet for the first time.
The operation was successful. Currently, she is undergoing physical therapy to rehabilitate her legs.
On February 8, she and her mom got invited to an annual prom event hosted by the Tim Tebow Foundation, her sponsor, and Tebow Cure Hospital, where she had undergone her operation.
At first, she was hesitant to walk down the red carpet riding on a wheel chair since her therapist advised her to rest her legs while under therapy.
But the moment she entered the Davao Convention Center ballroom, her face brightened up to see fellow participants, who just like her, have a special condition.
"Lingaw man diay maka-atend og ing-ani (Attending these events is fun)," she simply answered when asked about her first JS prom experience.
While she wasn't able to use her legs on the dance floor, the opportunity of meeting other children, who just like her is also struggling to live a normal life, was fantastic.
It was a rare sight of her being expressive of the joy she had felt – that for once in her life, to overcome her fears and be freely open to mingle with others. It was also a stepping stone of regaining her self-confidence and trust. She might even return to school next year, once she fully recovers.
Ara Jane was among the 100 guests invited in the Night to Shine 2020.
On its fifth year, Night to Shine is a JS prom like no other. Hence, it is a special gathering for children with special needs.
Night to Shine event manager Ella Marielle Abadesco shared how these children are all kings and queens as they get to experience royal treatment. From hair and make-up to the dresses and clothes, it is all covered by the organizers.
"We wanted it to be celebrated in an extraordinary way wherein our kids with special needs would feel God's love for them," Abadesco told Sunstar Davao.
The foundation and hospital staff, alongside different Christian volunteer groups, had worked together in making this one-of-a-kind promenade possible.
Some of the participating kids have special and rare conditions such as Down syndrome, deaf mute, visual impairments, autism, and orthopedic-related cases.
Laurence Eduard Alcoseba, 18, has been partially blind since he was young. The young man also has his fair share of people mocking him.
"They would mock me physically behind my back because of the way my eyes look," he shared.
Instead of being let down, he turned out to look for an outlet to further utilize his potential - and that is in the field of music.
Laurence is currently enrolled at the Davao School for the Blind, wherein he is a part of the school's musical band, also composed of blind musicians.
During the prom, he even got to play his flute, which wowed the audience.
Emmanuel Roy Hipe, Laurence's buddy during that day, was among those who were proud of him for not hesitating to showcase his talent despite his condition.
For three years, Emmanuel has been attending the special prom.
"It is a heartwarming experience. The organizers gave them an opportunity to join a social event. You can actually feel that they are being loved," he said.
Abadesco said the prom was a special venue for them to be themselves, since most of these kids are marginalized and undervalued. She believes they are especially capable, and deserve to be socially-inclusive in the community.
"Some of these kids, it's their first time to attend due to their physical condition. It has somewhat become a limitation for them in attending these kinds of events," she said.
If there is one thing that makes them stand out from others, she said, is them being affectionate as a human being.
"For us people, who do not have impairments, we try on living up to our own standards, that we sometimes become fake or unreal," Abadesco added, "But these kids, we get to learn how to be authentic".
Children living with special needs deserve to live a normal life, even having their share in social activities like prom, she said.
For non-government organizations like Tim Tebow Foundation, who continuously support these children in helping them cope with the gaps society made them feel, the government and the public have a fair share in empowering these kids who might one day spark change in the society.